


Green-eyed Monster

by FreddieFoxBaxter



Series: TK Strand Week 2020 [2]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Established Relationship, Jealous TK, Jealousy, M/M, Romance, TK Strand Week 2020, petty TK
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27370333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreddieFoxBaxter/pseuds/FreddieFoxBaxter
Summary: Meeting Carlos’ ex sends TK for a hell of a spin.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: TK Strand Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997548
Comments: 4
Kudos: 180





	Green-eyed Monster

**Author's Note:**

> **TK Strand Week 2020**
> 
> **Day 2:** "Wait, are you jealous?" + romance
> 
> You’ll need to squint a little to find the romance, but it’s there, I promise.

Hands in his pockets, TK tapped his fingers against his thigh, waiting for Carlos to introduce him to the guy he was talking to. Carlos, however, seemed too focused on catching up with the hunk to remember that TK was right there.

A weird behavior coming from him, Carlos was usually much more attentive, but from the moment he spotted the guy through the crowd, he stopped paying TK any attention. That didn't look right.

Tired of waiting, TK cleared his throat.

“Right, this is TK,” Carlos finally said, giving him the chance to shake the man's hand. 

“Hi, how are you?”

His name didn't register, his mind rolling around the way Carlos introduced him. TK shot him a glance, but they dove back into their conversation, ignoring him once again. Irritation festered under his skin, and TK wondered if any of them would notice him wandering off on his own. He kept on his tight-lipped smile, coming closer and closer to actually bailing, when finally the guy left.

“So who was –  _ that _ ?” TK asked once they were alone.

“Oh, Jake, we used to date, glad he is doing alright,” Carlos casually answered, leaving TK to stare at his back wide-eyed, not noticing he had stopped in his tracks.

Carlos turned, looking at him with an arched eyebrow. “TK?”

His mind ran back at the guy, Carlos' ex. A few inches taller than him, light green eyes, built like a Greek god, his muscles showing under his tank top. TK swallowed. He knew he wasn't that bad looking, but the comparison was ruthless.

“That - that was your ex?” he mumbled, fighting against his insecurities threatening to drown him.

“Yeah,” Carlos shrugged, confusion lingering in his eyes.

“He is really...”

“Hot?” Carlos suggested in a very matter-of-factly tone, which did nothing to ease TK's troubled mind. He opened his mouth to close it again, still blindsided.

“You never told me about him,” he finally said, his gaze stuck on the pavement, not daring to look at Carlos in fear of his reaction.

“Because I didn't think it was important, we dated a few months in college...  **wait** -”

TK jumped, surprised when Carlos grabbed his arm making him look at him.

“ **Are you jealous?** ” he couldn't hide the soft smirk on his lips, which made TK snort.

Carlos loosened the grip on his arm, his fingers running over his muscles in a gentle caress, down to his hand, holding it as he linked their fingers together.

“You have nothing to worry about, I promise, but this feels kinda nice.”

TK sighed at Carlos' sheepish glance, “Glad it feels nice for you.”

“Come on, man, that's not what I meant. It's nice knowing you care enough to be jealous -” Carlos paused to run a hand through his curls, ruffling them, as his cheeks tinged red. It made TK feel almost guilty, but at least now they were both uncomfortable. He didn't like this side of himself, but he liked the idea of Carlos with other men even less.

“Well, I do and I am,” he said, not caring of how childish he might sound. Now that he started giving voice to his thoughts, he didn't know how to stop.

“Also, what was that ‘ _ this is TK’ _ ?”

“That's your name, what was I supposed to say?” Carlos blinked at him.

TK wrinkled his nose, averting his eyes as they walked down the road where Carlos parked his car. Arguing with him deviated from the date TK expected. They went for a drink and then dinner in a new Chinese restaurant that just opened a few blocks from Carlos' gym; the reviews were enthusiastic and up until thirty minutes before TK was dying to try it.

He sat silently in his seat, sulking as he stared at the city running by behind the window.

“TK,” Carlos called with the usual softness in his voice he had every time he said TK’s name. He chewed on his lips, regretting deeply his over the top reaction, and now he lacked the courage to look at Carlos, afraid to find disappointment in his eyes.

“Should we skip dinner? Or maybe we could take something to go...”

The corner of his lips curled up in a sheepish smile; that was closer to the man he got to know, caring and thoughtful. TK knew he was lucky to have him in his life, willing to put up with him every time he screwed things up between them.

“I didn't mean to freak out on you. Again,” TK said in a bitter tone.

“It's okay, TK, that clearly hit a nerve...”

TK took a sharp breath. He never told Carlos about Alex, almost nine months had passed and he still couldn't describe what he had been through without coming undone. He only did that in therapy and once during a meeting, and every time it took him days to dig himself out of the abyss the subject threw him into.

“It did,” he groaned, his heart racing in his chest.

“Why do I feel like you don't want to talk about it?”

TK lowered his gaze as Carlos sighed.

“Ok, listen,” Carlos said turning into an empty parking lot, where he stopped his car. In any other situation, TK would have chuckled at the reckless maneuver.

“We don't have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I need you to know – I would never – you have nothing to worry about – ”

TK smiled at Carlos' mumbling; he took his hand, caressing the soft skin between his thumb and index finger. Carlos thanked him with a crooked smile.

“It's ok, really. I know you are one of the good ones. I guess meeting Jake made me feel a bit... insecure? About myself.”

“No offense, but that's just silly. You are the hottest man I've ever seen, really, you have nothing to worry about,” Carlos said, his tone more stable and open.

TK lifted his eyebrow, “Really? The hottest?” he said, glad to hear him chuckle. The tension between them melted away with Carlos' laughter.

“You know I'm smitten, I'm not going anywhere,” he then whispered as he brushed his knuckles on his cheek. TK smiled, rubbing his face on his hand. He shot him a glance under his lashes, and his smile turned into laughter when Carlos took the hint and cupped his face with his hands, leaning in to erase the distance between them. TK sighed on his lips, so soft and sweet they made him feel dizzy. That was the best part of being with Carlos. Not his being insanely hot in everything he did, not even him being able to put up with his overbearing dad without blinking. It was this. In his arms, TK felt safe. No matter the storm he got stranded in, he knew Carlos would be there, the safest of harbors, to lead him home.

TK paused their kiss to rest his forehead against Carlos’. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

“TK,” he chuckled in response, his fingers playing with a lock of TK’s hair, fallen before his eyes, “you literally save people every day, I’d say that’s more than enough to deserve good things in your life.” TK wrinkled his nose. Despite his nonchalant tone, he saw Carlos’ cheeks redden.

“Maybe,” he agreed, “but I still think I got lucky.”

The glance Carlos shot him made his blood boil. “Well, if you behave, you might get lucky later, too.”

TK laughed, diving back into the kiss they had paused. He really did get lucky.


End file.
